The Tragic Death Of Jax Taylor's Father

In early December 2017, Jax Taylor revealed the devastating news that his father Ronald Cauchi was battling cancer. He tweeted, "Yes cancer f**king sucks, watching my father go through this is killing me.. prayers to all the families that have to deal with this awful disease."

That same month, the Vanderpump Rules star explained why he opened up about his father's health on social media, telling The Daily Dish, "I think getting support from everybody on his Facebook, people are like, 'Stay strong, stay strong,' that's why I did this." He explained, "I feel like people should support each other with this terrible disease because I think that if there's anything, that maybe somebody knows something or [there's] a doctor out there that, 'Hey, I saw that on Facebook. You should try this.'"

In that interview, he shared specifics about his dad's health, revealing he was diagnosed with stage IV cancer two months prior. He said, "It's in his throat, his esophagus, so it's rough." Then on Dec. 28, 2017, Jax shared, "My heart is broken, I lost my best friend and the best man I have ever met last night, I love you so much dad I can't even breathe anymore, only person not letting me fall right now is my amazing girlfriend. I love you dad."

Although the Vanderpump Rules OG was initially hesitant to open up about his dad's cancer battle, he has since worn his heart on his sleeve, sharing a lot after his father's passing.

Soon after his dad Ronald Cauchi passed away in December 2017, Jax Taylor penned a very emotional Instagram post, describing his father as his "best friend" and revealing they talked every single day, often about their shared love of hockey. He said, "My father never said one word that was negative, he helped so many people young and old.... I could go on and on. I love you dad, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me, I am so proud to be your son."

A year later, Jax wrote another message to his dad, sharing, "I know you are with me because too many positive things have happened to me this year and I have seen so many signs of you. We still get to have our talks but now they take place at church on Wednesday's and when I take your ashes with me on my cruises with the guys." He also promised he's been taking good care of his dad's corvette. 

In October 2019, Jax told TooFab that his aunt recently passed away, remarking, "I just lost a lot of family over the last three years." He elaborated, "Dad, two uncles, couple friends, now my aunt... It is what it is, you know, it's life. It sucks. It just sucks." 

While his father's passing is a very significant loss, Jax has made many efforts to keep his dad in his life, especially for major milestones. 

During a December 2018 Vanderpump Rules episode, Jax Taylor revealed, "When my father passed away, he left some money for my sister and I, and I'm using my money for the right," the engagement ring for now-wife Brittany Cartwright. He said, "Every time I look at it I can think of my dad, and that's just another memory for me."

In a July 2019 People interview, Brittany shared how they honored Jax's late dad Ronald Cauchi with some jewelry, saying, "We took one of his dad's diamonds from his wedding ring and put it inside Jax's ring." Their jeweler also "changed his dad's wedding ring into a necklace, so he wears it on a pendant now."

In addition to the wedding jewelry, Jax reserved a seat in his dad's honor during the ceremony. He shared a photo of the wedding chairs, which included a chair with a photo of his father in the front row. Jax sweetly captioned the photo, "My dad, always early."

While Jax's dad had a seat for the ceremony, Jax's mom Marie Cauchi did not. Jax and his mom had a major falling-out related to Ronald's passing, with Jax sharing at the Season 7 Vanderpump reunion that his mom didn't keep him informed about the true status of his father's health. Still, Jax has managed to channel his grief in some very positive ways, despite the tragedy of the loss and his estrangement with his mother.